Yummy...Yum...Yum!!

Oh boy!!! I actually went with Lauren to TOP POT doughnuts today.....but I took pictures of Emma eating hers. Emma is getting a little irritated that Lauren is getting so many more pictures on the blog than her!! Well, it is true that I have a lot more of Lauren...but it is a little easier to get shots of Lauren. Since Lauren gets out of school at 1:30, we have two hours alone before Emma gets home, so we usually go do something...and according to Emma, we always do something really FUN!!

Anyways..Lauren had to go to the doctor again today to have that planter's wart looked at. Of course, the appointment last week where they froze it, didn't work, so now she needs to go to a dermatologist to have it injected!! Lauren was so freaked to have it froze off again, I told her on the way, that when we were done, we could stop at Top Pot doughnuts. That instantly changed her attitude!! She is so cute..after we had our doughnuts and were heading home, she saw the biggest fluffiest cloud in the sky.

Lauren: Mom, look at that cloud. Oh dang it, I wish I had my camera.

Me: Me too! That is a beautiful cloud!!

Lauren: When I grow up I am going to be a photographer. I am going to take pictures of my kids all the time! Unless it hurts to have kids..then I am not having any!!

This made me laugh!!!!

Happy Monday!

Did you know I was taking an online photography course?? It is very exciting. I started this photography class a few weeks ago on Understanding Exposure. Bryan Peterson is the instructor. He is a well known photographer and the author of the above book and some other books as well. The course has been pretty good so far...except that I have the above book and a lot of the lessons are in the book as well, but you do submit your assignment photos and then he critiques them. This week the assignment was using a certain aperture to have the background and foreground all be in focus!! The picture I submitted was the second on in this post. My feedback was that he loved the lighting and the textured background, yadda, yadda, yadda and that it was a PERFECT PICTURE!! If there is nothing to pic apart on your picture, you always get that it is a perfect picture!! Here is his website, if you would like to see some of his pictures!

http://www.bryanfpeterson.com/

Busy, Busy Days!

We have been BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!! I haven't had any time to update my blog, clean my house or even think!!! Last week the kids had tons of activities at school. Emma was doing the WASL testing at school (for you Oregonians, it is like the CTBS tests we used to have), she was all excited because her class had a pizza party on Friday and they got to chew GUM. Wouldn't it be nice if something as little as having a pizza party or chewing gum made you excited??!?! LOL!

Thursday night, Bart, Ian and I went to see Jerry Seinfeld at the Paramount with Ryan Swanson and his wife Renee. Seinfeld is so funny, he kept the audience laughing the whole time. We went to dinner at The Tap Room before the show. My Santa Fe sandwich was Delish! Yum!!

Today Emma had her Hit-A-Thon, Team pictures and then a game. Later on the girls planted the garden with Bart. This year we bought starters from the girl's school plant sale. Usually, we plant our garden from seeds, so this will be something new!!

Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall....

Humpty Dumpty had a great Fall!! Lauren brought her Humpty Dumpty art home today...she was kind of sad like Humpty Dumpty. I noticed she had a HUGE planter wart on her heel a few weeks ago and just left it there because she was having her 6 year old check up in a few weeks and I would have the doctor look at it then. But last night, I looked at it again and now there were a bunch more starting!! Like TEN!! GROSS!! Yuck..Blech.... So I took her in to the pediatrician earlier today and they froze them off. She was bawling..it stung so bad, they did it three times and held it on for 20 seconds each time. Plus, she has to go back a few more times because it is so deep. Poor Baby. Afterwards, I asked her if she wanted an ice cream cone to make her feel better!! Well of course!! So we headed over to Ben and Jerry's!! The line was out the door. We thought it was because it was such a nice day, but nope, it was because it was FREE ice cream cone day there today!! So we got FREE ice cream cones!! And to top it off FOX NEWS was there and asked if they could film Lauren, so she is supposed to be on the news sometime between 9PM and 10PM!! What a day!

Oh and after all that..Lauren said she could put Humpty Dumpty back together by filling in all his cracks with Marshmallow Creme!!

More of Desi....inside shots!

My First Attempt at Senior photos!

This was my first time actually going out and taking Senior Photos. Real ones, pictures someone was actually going to hand out! Yikes! Desi, my cousin's daughter, so my second cousin, was the perfect model!! Isn't she beautiful?? This was a great learning experience for me. I definitely learned what worked well and what didn't!! These were the outside shots. I will post the inside shots next. Outside was challenging because it was pouring the entire time they were here. So as soon as there was a break, we raced outside to get some pictures. But then the sun was out and it was the middle of the day. Both no-no's to shoot in!! It causes harsh shadows on your person's face. So this is the best we got for outside!!

Great Wolf Lodge

My brother, Ian.

Heading up to the tornado!!

Yes, Tuwi went with us on this trip too!!

Hillary trying to balance on the lily pads.

The water park from the top of the stairs that leads to the water slides.

Ahhhh.. a fun time was had by all. We got there around one on Saturday and stood in a HUGE line to check-in. Our room was not ready, but we got our bracelets and headed to the park. Since the rooms aren't ready until 4PM, they let you use the water park while you wait. However, you have to stand in the HUGE line again when you check-in the second time for your room. Except, now the HUGE line has doubled!!

The kids loved all of the water slides. The tornado was their favorite...a big drop off into a toilet bowl where you swish around and funnel through the tube to exit. I liked the regular tubes the best. They were longer and fast!!! We thought for sure the kids would ZONK out early....not a chance. Before we knew it , it was 11PM. We needed these kids asleep so the Easter bunny could visit!!

Around 3AM, Ian's snoring was so loud, I decided to go over to his bed and wake him so he would be quiet! OMG!! He bolted up and yelled so loud and kicked me in the arm. Freaked him out, freaked me out...Bart started laughing hysterically. In fact, he continued to laugh for the next half hour!! So not much sleep last night!

In the morning the kids were all happy to open their baskets!! Lauren is the only true believer, so she was super excited that the Easter Bunny knew she wasn't at home!! She said the Easter Bunny must have been really busy here last night!! No kidding...he must have spent all night at the Great Wolf Lodge!!